William R. Moses Movies
- 1981
Angela Channing (Jane Wyman), the formidable and much-feared owner of Napa Valley's Falcon Crest winery; and Angela's nephew Chase Gioberti (Robert Foxworth), the son of her late brother Jason, from whom he has inherited 50 acres of Channing property. Arriving in California to assume control of his land--and to rescue the Tuscany Valley from the iron grip of Angela, who controls the local water rights--Chase brings along his wife Maggie (Susan Sullivan) and his children Cole (William R. Moses) and Victoria (Jamie Rose). With gimlet-eyed determination, Angela begins formulating plans to chase Chase all the way back to New York, using every trick in the book up to and including pitting young Cole against her father. She also relies upon the legal chicanery at the disposal of her somewhat less than ethical attorney, Phillip Erikson (Mel Ferrer) All that is holding Angela back from declaring all out war on Chase is the fact that she has innumerable skeletons in her closet, beginning with the complicity of her own daughter Emma (Margaret Ladd) in Jason's "accidental" death. Meanwhile, Angela's indolent playboy grandson Lance (Lorenzo Lamas), eager to prove his worth to the Channing family by going after Chase himself, succeeds in only pulling off stupid stunts like sabotaging the Gioberti pump house. In the course of events during the first season, Victoria Gioberti falls in love with ranchhand Mario (Mario Marcellino), incurring the wrath of her parents in the process. Rebelling against her mom and dad, Victoria runs off to the streets of San Francisco, where the sharkish Lance introduces her to a producer of porno films. Later on, Lance lands a job at the "San Francisco Globe", a newspaper managed by Angela's ex-husband Douglas (David Selby). In this capacity, Lance enters into a relationship with Melissa Agretti (Ana Alicia), a romance engineered by Angela in hopes of gaining control of the competing Agretti winery. Though Melissa and Lance can't stand each other (he's still messing around with former girlfriend Lori Chapman, played this season by Cindy Morgan), she accepts his proposal, pursuing a hidden agenda of her own. When word comes that Melissa is pregnant, Angela assumes that Lance is the father--but he isn't. Meanwhile, Lance's father Tony Cumson (John Saxon), who deserted both his son and his wife (and Angela's sister) Julia (Abby Dalton) years earlier, adds to the existing aura of tension and hostility by suddenly resurfacing. Also working at the "Globe" is Chase's wife Maggie, who begins digging into the mystery of Jason Channing's death at the behest of her boss, Douglas Channing (Stephen Elliott)_. Just before the coroner's inquest, Douglas himself dies, while the only other person who may hold the key to the mystery, Angela's daughter Emma, is kept under sedation and out of the jury's reach. During all this intrigue, Lana Turner is introduced as Chase's mother Jacqueline Perrault, who seems to have all the "dirt" on Angela and her questionable business practices. As the season ends, the findings of the inquest result in Chase gaining control of Falcon Crest, though he generously (and to his later regret) allows Angela to retain ownership of half of the business; and upon the death of his father, Douglas Channing's illegitimate son Richard (David Selby) takes over the "Globe" lock, stock, and scandal. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Wyman, Robert Foxworth, (more)
Director Silvio Narizzano totes out a Sunday morning public affairs programming style in this it-could-happen-to-you drama about a popular high-school student who finds that he has what some consider a disability. Paul Carafotes plays a high-school student who loves to play football and music. But when the school doctor determines that he is partially deaf, he is barred from the football team. In order to hide his disappointment, the high schooler changes his outlook to one of disinterest, and he rapidly falls in with a tough gang that is making trouble around the high school. Demi Moore appears in a small supporting role in this film -- her first film role. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Carafotes, Victor French, (more)
- 1982
Much of the action in Season Two of Falcon Crest is precipitated by the murder of Carlo Agretti (Carlos Romero) the father of Melissa Agretti (Ana Alicia), the ambitious wife of Lance Cumson (Lorenzo Lamas)--who in turn is the playboy grandson of ruthless Tuscany Valley winery owner Angela Channing (Jane Wyman). The marriage between Lance and Melissa had been engineered by Angela as a power play against her nephew Chase (Robert Foxworth), who owns half of Angela's thriving Falcon Crest winery, and who has joined the Tuscany Board of Supervisors as a means of lessening Angela's financial hold on the valley. In this endeavor, he is assisted by his mother, Jacqueline Perrault (Lana Turner), and by the owner of the muckraking "San Francisco Globe", Richard Channing (David Selby), the illegitimate son of Angela's ex-husband Douglas Channing. But while Chase's opposition to Angela is altruistic in tone, Richard is motivated by greed and an all-consuming lust for power. Recognizing the double threat of Richard and Chase's, Angela's unscrupulous attorney Phillip Erikson (Mel Ferrer) does everything in his power to discredit both men. Meanwhile, Lance cheats on Melissa with his girlfriend Lori, played this season by Maggie Cooper; this so aggravates Melissa that she delivers her baby son Joseph prematurely. Elsewhere, Chase's daughter Victoria falls in love with Nick Hogan (Roy Thinnes), another member of the Board of Supervisors whom Angela has pressured to thwart Chase's plans. In other developments, Chase's son Cole (William R. Moses) is arrested on suspicion of murdering Carlo Agretti, but a series of mysterious accidents befalling various cast members makes it quite clear that the actual killer is still at large. In the tradition of the "Who Shot J.R.?" story arc on Dallas, the cast of Falcon Crest was kept in the dark as to the identity of Carlo's murderer; several possible ending were filmed, with virtually every person in the show being revealed as the culprit. Only in the season's cliffhanger finale is the truth revealed (much to the surprise of the "guilty" actor, who didn't know the outcome of the mystery until the night the episode was telecast!)--at which point both Chase and Jacqueline are shot down and left for dead! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Wyman, Lana Turner, (more)
- 1983
Season Two of Falcon Crest ended as Julia Cumson (Abby Dalton), the demented sister of ruthless Tuscany Valley winery owner Angela Channing (Jane Wyman) and the mother of Angela's playboy grandson Lance (Lorenzo Lamas), revealed herself to be the murderer of Lance's father-in-law Carlo Agretti--and in the process, gunned down Angela's nephew and chief nemesis Chase Gioberti (Robert Foxworth), as well as Chase's mother Jacqueline. Though Chase recovers from his wounds, Jacqueline dies and Julia is carted off first to prison and then a mental insistution--but not before Carlo's daughter Melissa (Ana Alicia) and Chase's half-brother Richard (David Selby) try to manipulate poor Julia into destroying Angela's reputation in the courtroom. As Chase is nursed back to health by Jacqueline's nephew Dr. Michael Ransom (Cliff Robertson), Angela tries to take advantage of the situation by having Chase declared mentally incompetent so she can gain full control of the Falcon Crest winery. To this end, she enlist the aid of an unscrupulous physician named Dr. Lantry (Ron Rifkin)--who, own his own, schemes to kill Chase so that he can blackmail Angela. Once Lantry commits suicide, Angela is off the hook, while Dr. Ransom, exercising his power as executor of Jacqueline's will, keeps the ruthless Richard in line by stipulating that Chase will give Richard half of Jacqueline's fortune only if Chase regards his half-brother as being totally trustworthy! Elsewhere, Lance tries to return to his wife Melissa, who refuses to have anything to do with him, holding him responsible for her father's death and their son Joseph's fragile medical condition. Actually, Joseph is not Lance's son, but instead the offspring of Chase Roberti's son Cole (William R. Moses), who after his affair with Melissa entered into marriage with Linda Caproni (Mary Kate McGheehan), the daughter of an immigrant's-rights activist who has long despised Angela and her family. Meanwhile, Chase's wife Maggie (Susan Sullivan) has an awkward reunion with her sister Terry Hartford (Laura Johnson), an unregenerate prostitute who hopes to claim her share of Maggie's newfound wealth; before long, Terry has not only wormed her way into the Gioberti household, but she is also making the moves on the virtuous Dr. Ransom. Angela decides to use Terry's sordid history as leverage against Cole when the latter tries to gain custody of baby Joseph. As it turns out, Melissa is more than willing to relinquish Joseph to Angela's custody in exchange for a piece of Falcon Crest--a bit of chicanery that drives Lance to near-madness! Near the end of the season, the "Cartel" story arc that will dominate Season Four is introduced, as Richard enters into an extremely shady series of business transactions in order to build a racetrack on Angela's land. Also, Chase enters into a battle with Richard to save the local wineries; articles published in Richard's newspaper expose the connection between the dreaded Cartel and the late Jacqueline; Maggie develops a brain tumor; and a scheme is hatched to assassinate Richard at the opening of his racetrack. In the cliffhanger finale, Julia escapes from the institution, taking baby Joseph hostage; Angela is poised to enter into a marriage of convenience with her unscrupulous lawyer Phillip Erikson (Mel Ferrer); and several of the principal characters face extermination in an "accidental" plane crash. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Wyman, Cliff Robertson, (more)
- 1984
Season Four of Falcon Crest is dominated by a storyline involving "The Cartel", a widespread criminal organization headed by war criminal Gustav Riebmann (J. Paul Freeman)--who turns out to have been the former lover of Jacqueline Perrault, the late mother of Tuscany Valley winery owner Chase Roberti (Robert Foxworth) and Chase's half-brother, ruthless newspaper owner Richard Channing (Doug Selby). While the upright Chase has no connection with The Cartel, Richard had spent the previous season conspiring with Riebmann to construct a race track on land owned by Chase's business partner, aunt, and principal antagonist Angela Channing (Jane Wyman). Angela holds Chase responsible for the death of her lawyer and fiancé Phillip Erikson, but Richard knows that the Cartel did the dirty work, and his knowledge may very well lead to his own demise. In other developments this season, Angela manages to take control of Richard's newspaper, the "San Francisco Globe", appointing her playboy grandson Lance (Lorenzo Lamas) as editor. When someone tries to murder Angela, Richard attempts to frame Lance for the crime. And later on, Richard assumes one-third control of Angela's Falcon Crest winery with the help of Angela's vengeful Italian half-sister, Francesca Gioberti (Gina Lollobrigida). This being Falcon Crest, Francesca is not content with merely grabbing up a portion of Falcon Crest; she has a long-standing grudge against the Channing family, and won't be satisfied until everyone in the clan is left twisting slowly in the wind! With all this going on, it is amazing that any time is left over for another of the season's principal plot strands, this one involving the breakup of Lance's marriage to Melissa Agretti (Ana Alicia) and the dissolution of the union between Cole Gioberti (William R. Moses) and Linda Caproni (Mary Kate McGheehan)--leading inexorably to the wedding of Cole and Melissa (who, after all, ARE the parents of Angela's great-grandson Joseph). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Wyman, Gina Lollobrigida, (more)
- 1985
Season Five of Falcon Crest finds ruthless winery owner Angela Channing (Jane Wyman) once again under siege, this time from Cassandra Wilder (Anne Archer), who intends to destroy Angela and her business to avenge past wrongs committed by Angela against the Wilder family. Facing financial ruin, Angela summons her old flame Peter Stavros (Cesar Romero) to help her get back on her feet. Peter has no sooner gotten to work than he is abducted by his own daughter Sofia (Julie Carmen), who wants to get her hands on the Channing fortue herself. Eventually, Angela marries Peter--but only to prevent him from assuming full control of her beloved Falcon Crest (and to keep an eye on Peter's son Eric [John Callahan], who may have his own avaricious agenda). Meanwhile, newspaper owner Richard Channing (Doug Selby), the illegitimate son of Angela's late husband Douglas, continues to build up his financial nest eggs by skimming profits from the Tuscany Downs Racetrack that he'd constructed a few seasons earlier in order to spite Angela (and which involved him up to his neck with the sinister "Cartel"). Figuring out what Richard is up to, Terry Hartford (Laura Johnson), the ex-prostitute sister-in-law of Richard's longtime nemesis (and half-brother) Chase Gioberti (Robert Foxworth), blackmails Channing into marriage. And speaking of prostitutes, Season Five brings forth a fascinating new recurring character: Richard's female attorney Jordan Roberts (Morgan Fairchild, a schizophrenic who transforms into a hooker named "Monica" on a nightly basis! Elsewhere, Chase's wife Maggie (Susan Sullivan), exercising the prerogative of many a previous soap-opera heroine, suddenly develops amnesia, and while in this state pens a "roman a clef" about the people she knows. When the book is accepted for publication, Maggie is introduced to literary publicist Jeff Wainwright (Edward Albert)--who spends the rest of the season obsessively stalking her. Also, in their efforts to have another baby, Chase and Maggie's son Cole (William R. Moses) and his wife Melissa (Ana Alicia) engage the services of Melissa's sister Robin (Barbara Howard) as surrogate mother; going far beyond the requirements of her job, Robin sleeps with Cole, then insists upon keeping the baby. And in other developments, Melissa's ex-husband Lance (Lorenzo Lamas) falls for pop singer Apollonia (played by Patricia Kotero, who actually adopted "Apollonia" as a stage name), a fact that disgusts his grandmother Angela only slightly less than the romance between Angela's daughter Emma (Margaret Ladd) and ambitious truck driver Dwayne Cooley (Daniel Greene). In the season's traditional cliffhanger finale, all of the Tuscany Valley and the people therein--including the entire Knots Landing cast--is imperiled by a devastating earthquake. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Wyman, Cesar Romero, (more)
Who else but a California Valley Girl could stumble down a hole in the ground and end up in the lost city of Atlantis: "Ooooh, and the buildings are sooo spiffy..." The Atlanteans are quite sure she's on their side, so they decide she's gotta' go and send out the death squads. The "Alien" in this film is played by model Kathy Ireland. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kathy Ireland, Thom Matthews, (more)
Three teenagers learn a lot about life and love one summer in this romantic comedy-drama. Kat (Annabeth Gish), Daisy (Julia Roberts), and Jojo (Lili Taylor) are three working-class women just out of high school who have jobs at the same pizza parlor in the resort community of Mystic, Connecticut. Kat wants to study astronomy at Yale; when she starts baby-sitting for Tim (William R. Moses), a wealthy Yale graduate summering in Mystic, she finds herself falling in love with him, even though he's married and nearly twice her age. Daisy, who isn't sure what she wants from life, starts going with Charlie (Adam Storke), a recent law school dropout, though she starts to think that it may be more to rebel against her family than out of genuine affection. And Jojo is attracted to Bill (Vincent D'Onofrio), but she doesn't want to get married (she's already left him at the altar once); when Bill announces that he's no longer willing to have sex without marriage, she has to decide if his affections are worth a lifetime commitment. Conchata Ferrell appears in a supporting role as Leona, the proprietor of the pizza parlor, who zealously guards the secret formula of her sauce. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Annabeth Gish, Julia Roberts, (more)
- 1988
A pre-Will and Grace Megan Mullally guest stars in this episode as Molly Connors, the feisty daughter of West Virginia coal miner Eben Connors (Denver Pyle). When Eben dies in a suspicious mining accident, Molly sweeps into town to accuse the mine's owner of being responsible for her dad's death. Shortly thereafter, the owner is found murdered--and the murder weapon, a rifle, is located in Molly's car. All that is preventing Molly from being torn to pieces by the hostile local citizens is the presence of the girl's former creative-writing teacher Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury), who as usual suspects that someone else has perpetrated the foul deed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
In this entry in the long-running mystery series, Perry Mason must help a wounded hockey star who has been accused of killing an important sports figure. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1989
In this entry in the long-running mystery series, Perry Mason has a conflict with an old friend after he begins representing the law student who is the prime suspect in the murder of his friend's son. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1989
In this entry in the long-running mystery series, Perry Mason and his assistant help a stage manager who is the prime suspect in the murder of the director who recently fired him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1990
In this entry in the long-running mystery series, Perry Mason begins representing an author who is accused of killing her conniving ex-husband at a mystery writers convention. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1990
In this entry in the long-running mystery series, Perry Mason represents a former student who is accused of murdering a singing star. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Rock Hudson is a TV-biopic oversimplification of the life and career of the durable screen idol. Most of the background material is based on the book by Phyllis Gates, who was briefly married to Hudson in the 1950s. The film recounts (in fan-magazine fashion) Hudson's rise from truck driver to movie star, then spends the last twenty minutes or so on his death from AIDS. Only a few of Hudson's personal and professional associates are depicted in the film: Daphne Ashbrook is seen as Phyllis Gates, Andrew Robinson (who'd portrayed Liberace in an earlier TV movie!) plays Hudson's manager Henry Wilson, and Don Galloway portrays John Frankenheimer, who directed Hudson in Seconds. Rock Hudson himself is played by Thomas Ian Griffith, who came from obscurity and promptly went back after this film was completed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Thomas Ian Griffith, William R. Moses, (more)
- 1990
In this entry in the long-running mystery series, Perry Mason listens to the pleas of a 13-year-old girl and helps her father who was falsely accused of murdering a gambler. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1990
In this entry in the long-running mystery series, Perry Mason represents a Marine Officer who is accused of killing a Nazi war criminal. He is the prime suspect because the Nazi had treated his mother terribly at a concentration camp. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1991
In this entry in the long-running mystery series, Perry Mason takes the case for a TV reporter falsely accused of killing the station's ego-maniacal anchorman. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Raymond Burr once more takes on a murder case and once more reveals the genuine killer at the very last moment in Perry Mason: The Case of the Fatal Fashion. The setting is the world of high fashion, but that doesn't stop the writers from throwing in a few mobsters for good measure. The victim this time is nasty fashion magazine editor Valerie Harper (with a blonde wig!) The accused is rival editor Diana Muldaur. As Perry Mason, Burr matches wits with prosecuting attorney Scott Baio (yes, that Scott Baio) in seeing to it that the truth will out. The Case of the Fatal Fashion was the fourth and final "Perry Mason" TV-movie of 1991. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
In this entry in the long-running mystery series, Perry Mason proves that a famous illusionist is innocent of deliberately killing his assistant during a spectacular stage stunt. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1991
In this entry in the long-running mystery series, Perry Mason must reevaluate his legal principles when an old buddy asks him to represent the gangster suspected of murdering his wife. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Raymond Burr, Paul Anka, (more)
- 1992
Television fans fed up with the state of TV talk shows might get a kick from the 1992 Perry Mason TV movie The Case of the Reckless Romeo. The title character, a video personality who's just written a tell-all autobiography, is played by none other than Geraldo Rivera. When the future O.J. Simpson-obsessed talk host is murdered, actress Amy Steel is accused of murder. Mason (Raymond Burr) sets about to prove her innocence. When first telecast on May 6, 1992, The Case of the Reckless Romeo was advertised with the tag line "Geraldo gets killed!" Reports of dancing in the streets remain unconfirmed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
When the invincible Perry Mason takes on the case of a photographer who is accused of murdering a famous artist, he discovers the case is complicated by forgery. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- 1992
The first "Perry Mason" TV movie of the 1992-93 season, The Case of the Heartbroken Bride was the 23rd such production. The wedding of pop star Heather McAdam is disrupted by a drunken interloper. When the party crasher is murdered, Heather is nabbed for the killing. Among the special guest suspects are Ronny Cox, Linda Blair and Diane Baker. Stephen Stills, of Crosby Stills, Nash and Young, has a cameo. As always, Perry Mason is played by Raymond Burr. The Case of the Heartbroken Bride first aired October 30, 1992. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
